Ursula von der Leyen has announced she will seek a second term as president of the European Commission and head of the most powerful institution in Brussels.
Speaking at a meeting of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Berlin on Monday, von der Leyen, 65, confirmed her candidacy for a further five years in the job, the first step in a four-month battle for election that could involve a wider field.
Some speculate that Estonia’s prime minister, Kaja Kallas, could be a candidate for the job in the summer when the final choice will be made.
However, for the moment all eyes are on “VDL”, as she has become universally known. “I am taking a very conscious and well-considered decision. I would like to run for a second term in office and I am very grateful to the CDU for nominating me as the top candidate for the EPP today,” she said.
The race to become the next commissioner will take place against a backdrop of rising concern over Vladimir Putin’s Russia, a potential return to the White House for Donald Trump, and internal splits over how to respond to both. Von der Leyen alluded to security challenges on Monday as she spoke of Europe’s need to “defend against divisions from within and without.”
Asked about her commitment to environment policies, which aides say was at the heart of her first mandate, she said that while “you can’t fulfil all expectations” as commission president, it was “important for me to win over and convince the forces of the centre and convince them”.
She would be “better prepared” than in 2019, when she emerged as a compromise candidate who was voted through with a slim majority, von der Leyen added.
Announcing von der Leyen’s nomination as the CDU candidate, Friedrich Merz, the party’s leader, said she had been nominated “unanimously” and that he would work to make sure her selection was also unanimous within the centre-right grouping of political parties in the European parliament, the EPP.
After being selected by the CDU, von der Leyen must get the backing of two other parties within the EPP, which also includes ruling parties in Greece, Ireland, Lithuania and Sweden.
She must then win a vote at the EPP’s congress in March, to be held in Bucharest, before facing the final hurdle in June when the real horse-trading over top jobs in Brussels begins.
Under the Spitzenkandidaten process, the choice of president of the European Commission is linked to the results of the European Parliament election scheduled for 6-9 June.
But what happens in June will be determined by the percentage vote the EPP commands after the election. In 2019, the EPP won the majority of seats and could have expected their candidate, Manfred Weber, to be appointed to the job. But he was unable to build cross-party support with the socialists, who came in second, putting forward another high-profile candidate, Frans Timmermans.
The split created space for von der Leyen, who was a surprise candidate from the German government. “Remember, nobody had heard of her back in 2019 and she went from being defence minister in Germany to having the most powerful job in Brussels within weeks,” said one diplomat, recalling she didn’t even campaign for the job.
During her time in office, VDL has had her critics, including Peter Liese, a German MEP and EPP environment and health spokesperson. He has accused her of pushing through the EU’s “green deal” – a package of reforms aimed at transforming the EU into a low-carbon economy – at the expense of farmers and agricultural sectors.
On Monday, Liese said that von der Leyen was nonetheless the “right candidate in turbulent, difficult times”.
“She has led us well through the pandemic and is showing a clear edge for Ukraine and against the Russian aggressor,” he said. “She has also handled other crises well. As a doctor and health politician, I find it particularly important that she has put the fight against cancer at the heart of European policy.
“We can hardly overestimate her achievements in climate protection. At the same time, in the last few months following the departure of [former European commissioner for climate action] Frans Timmermans, she made a smart change of direction and addressed the concerns of farmers before the farmer protests all over Europe even started.”
In the post-electoral carve-up, more eyes are likely to be on the other top jobs in Brussels.
The role of chief diplomat, held by Josep Borrell, is up for grabs, as well as head of the European Council, which facilitates relations between prime ministers and negotiates positions, often in tricky situations such as the recent row with Hungary over funding for Ukraine.
After the election in June, these positions are likely to be split between two of the other big political groupings, currently the socialists and democrats (S&D) and the liberal Renew group of MEPs.
